


Chasing Cars

by CirillaShepard



Series: Calibrations [1]
Category: Mass Effect
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Interspecies Romance, Romance, Romantic Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-06
Updated: 2016-08-06
Packaged: 2018-07-29 15:23:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7689811
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CirillaShepard/pseuds/CirillaShepard
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This was a prompt given to me a while ago on Tumblr, but I now can’t find who sent it to me.<br/>Set after the Leviathan DLC and before the Citadel date with Garrus so possible spoilers included.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Chasing Cars

**Author's Note:**

> **DISCLAIMER**  
> I do not own anything from the Mass Effect game series (unfortunately) but BioWare does.  
> Damn them.  
> I’m just borrowing their characters for fun when my muse grabs me.  
> \------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
> The Calibrations series is a collection of one shots featuring Garrus and Shepard.  
> Mostly fluffy, some angsty and there may even be some light smut eventually.  
> (please note that there’s no real chronological order to the chapters unless stated in the notes)  
> \------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
> Find me on [Tumblr](http://memoryandthought.tumblr.com)  
> \------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
> 

CHASING CARS  
_“if I lay here, if I just lay here…would you lie with me and just forget the world”_  
  
Shepard walked slowly towards the Main Battery of the Normandy, each step taking her closer to the verbal ass-kicking she knew she was about to receive.  
She paused in front of the door, taking her time and hoping quietly that the person behind the door would just go easy on her.  
  
“Yeah, right…” she half-chuckled, half-snorted and with a certain defiance settling around her shoulders palmed the entry button for the door and walked inside. The door swooshed closed behind her and despite knowing that she was in for some trouble, Shepard couldn’t help but smile at the sight of her turian lover idly checking the monitor on his desk.  
  
Hearing the door, Garrus turned and fixed her with a cool stare, arms folded in the universal sign of _‘I don’t want any of your bullshit right now’_. Shepard swallowed and tried to smile brightly at the stern figure she was facing, glancing at the floor when the smile failed to reach him.  
  
“What. Were. You. Thinking?” His voice was quiet, clipped and dangerous; sending a shiver through her spine that she hoped she had hidden, “you just decided that today was the day to go deep sea diving in what was little more than an Atlas mech? You could’ve DIED Shepard!”  
“I know,” she said, in little more than a whisper.  
“That’s all you have to say? I nearly lost you – AGAIN!”  
“I’m sorry, Garrus,” Shepard reached out tentatively; “I had to do it, I had no other option.”  
“You had the option to NOT DO IT!”  
“You know how important that intel was to the mission…”  
“I don’t give a DAMN! Do you know how worried I was out there? NOTHING is worth more than your life, not to me.”  
  
Shepard could hear the anger and frustration in his voice, could feel it coming off of him in hot waves like a powerful aura; his sub-harmonics were going crazy signaling how upset he truly was. She took a small step towards him, her hand closing around his wrist and his eyes jerked up to meet hers.  
  
“I didn’t know, Garrus,” she whispered; “if I had…if I’d known…”  
“Known what?” he muttered, “known that you mean more to me than the entire galaxy?”  
  
His admission sent a wave of shame through her. Sure, she knew that their relationship was special, that it meant something to both of them; but to hear it out loud shook her somewhat.  
They had both danced around using the “L” word to each other; they had teased each other about it and endured merciless teasing from the others aboard the Normandy but there had never seemed a right time to just come out with it – Shepard felt that it needed more than just a passing comment.  
Unable to put any of her thoughts into a coherent sentence; she instead reached up and stroked his scarred cheek tenderly, hoping that at least some of what she felt would be transferred in touch.  
  
“Shepard…” Garrus’ voice dropped to a quiet rumble as his eyes closed briefly; “please…just…never do that again.”  
“I make no promises,” she chuckled.  
“Hm,” he huffed, “indulge your crazy, overprotective boyfriend just this once?”  
Shepard smiled, tilting her head up and brushing a light kiss to his mouth, “boyfriend, huh?”  
“Yeah,” he almost purred; “is that......not what…..ah, hm…”  
“Relax, big guy. Boyfriend is just fine by me,” she slowly slid her arms around his waist and rested her head against his chest.  
“I haven’t forgiven you yet, you know,” he rumbled; wrapping his arms around her.  
“How about I make it up to you? We have shore leave coming up and I’m sure I could convince Joker to make a stop to that place I have on Intai’sei. We could have dinner, spend some time together?”  
“That sounds perfect.”  
  
________________________________________________________________________  
  
The smell of food drifted through the open French windows and Garrus took in an appreciative breath. The fact that Shepard could cook was just another new fact he had learned about her that surprised him.  
After assuring him that she had picked up food that wouldn’t cause any interesting and terrifying allergic reactions for either of them, she had given him a glass of Parthian brandy, on the rocks – exactly how he liked it – and ushered him onto the back deck to relax while she cooked.  
Although he wouldn’t admit it – out loud and to her face, anyway – he found the idea of Shepard in the role of doting housewife quite alluring and occasionally tipped back in his chair to watch her bustling about with various pans and utensils.  
  
He puffed out a laugh to himself and turned his attention to the view.  
The sun was setting low on the horizon, casting a fiery orange glow over the desert that stretched out in front of the apartment for miles. A faint hum could be heard in the distance; from the turbines of one of the wind farms still in operation and a light breeze whispered along the ground; stirring up drifts of sand into miniature whirlwinds.  
  
“Hey,” a fresh glass of brandy appeared in front of Garrus’ face and he tilted his head back, flaring his mandibles in a grin.  
“Hey yourself,” he replied and pulled her into his lap; “how’s it going in there?”  
“You tell me, it’s ready now,” Shepard grinned, kissed his cheek and walked back inside; returning moments later with two plates of amazing smelling food.  
  
Garrus looked at his plate and then back up at Shepard in surprise, “you made me _kheelie_ and _sradis_ root? But that’s…how did…?”  
“How did I know it was your favorite? I may have sent a message to your sister.”  
“You talked to Solana?!” Garrus looked up in alarm, a forkful of food halfway to his mouth.  
“Relax, Garrus,” she laughed; “I said that I wanted to do something for the crew that would cheer them up and that you were the only one I was having trouble picking up food for. She was happy to help.”  
“I can’t believe you did that, Shepard. I would’ve been happy with _olorae_ eggs and _panis_ , you know.”  
Shepard merely smiled and picked up an asparagus spear, nibbling at it delicately, “I made dessert too – it’s a cake made with _dulglyci_.”  
  
Garrus just groaned.  
  
________________________________________________________________________  
  
Shepard was leaning on the railings that ran around the back deck, looking out at the night sky and the shadows that played over the desert floor. She closed her eyes, trying to savor the evening before heading back to the Normandy – and the war – the next morning.  
A pair of arms slid around her waist and she felt Garrus nuzzle into her neck tenderly. She sighed and leaned back against him.  
“Thank you,” he murmured; “this evening was…perfect.”  
“It really was,” she agreed; “I’m glad I had chance to do this with you. Not sure we’ll get chance to relax much now.”  
“Hm,” Garrus shook his head, “I’ll make sure we do, Shepard. You need to rest more than anyone.”  
“I don’t think I’ll have much choice, Garrus. I’ve been told the galaxy needs me.”  
“Yeah and so do I,” he turned her in his arms and smoothed her hair gently, “more than you know.”  
  
Shepard rested her head against his shoulder and just listened to his breathing, wanting nothing more than to just stay in her hard-won apartment surrounded by miles and miles of beautiful unspoiled desert wrapped in the arms of her turian lover; the man that she loved fiercely and completely and couldn’t tell him, couldn’t get the words to form or push them past her lips.  
  
“Can we stay here?” she whispered, so quietly he barely heard her; “can we just forget the rest of the galaxy and the war and the death and destruction and just stay here?”  
“I would happily do that,” his mandible twitched slightly against her hair in a small, sad smile; “but I know you, _mi’hera_.”  
Shepard looked up at him, confused; “what did you just call me?”  
“Ah,” he chuckled softly, “guess our translators don’t pick up everything, huh?”  
  
Garrus took a breath and let it out slowly. To explain the meaning of the word would be akin to admitting just how deeply he cared for her and as much as he wanted to just awkwardly blurt it out and have done with it; to him she deserved more than a few rushed words.  
He looked down at her, his beautiful girl; his best friend and his lover and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear before running his talons through the silky reddish strands.  
  
She smiled, a half-smile that just tugged the corner of her mouth upwards and moved away, turning to look at him; “let’s go to bed, Garrus. We have to be up early for our pickup.”  
“Sure,” he nodded; “I’ll be there in a minute.”  
  
She nodded and disappeared inside the apartment.  
Garrus felt almost immediately lost without her by his side and wished that he had had the courage to tell her that it was exactly where he wanted her to be – for as long as they had left; until the very end.  
  
“I love you,” he murmured and the words were taken out of his mouth, out of his heart and away into the night sky to shimmer among the stars until he could gather them give them his fierce and beautiful Shepard.


End file.
